Investing in Playhouse is smart way to go

Robert DanosBe Our Guest

Published: Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, December 3, 2012 at 2:54 p.m.

I don’t like most musicals. In fact, I rarely get all that excited about live drama, comedy, ballet — you name it. Unless my wife “suggests” that she’d like to go to a play, I will choose watching “The Godfather” or “Braveheart” for the 100th time on cable any day of the week.

Facts

Danos is the former chairman of the Henderson County Republican Party.

Why then am I one of so many who are passionate about seeing the Flat Rock Playhouse not only survive but thrive?

Why are top notch businessmen such as Dave Adams, Jeff Miller and John Sheiry working so hard with private donors, board members, corporate sponsors, the Tourism Development Authority and our elected officials toward that goal?

The answer is simple: economics.

The Playhouse is one of the pillars of our travel and tourism industry, which is a benefit to every taxpayer in Henderson County. If the Playhouse goes down (taking 60,000 out-of-county visitors a year with it), it will mean the loss of more than $10 million a year that is pumped into our economy by the Playhouse, its customers and its vendors.

Every tourism dollar lost has a direct negative effect on the amount of sales tax coming into our coffers. And the huge pump of tourism-driven sales tax dollars is one of the primary reasons we are able to maintain a property tax rate lower than almost every county in the state of similar size.

My job for the past 21 years has been working in the summer camp business where you become very familiar with tourism-related economic impact studies and work with area hotels, restaurants and attractions to best serve your camp families. So how has Henderson County been able to build and sustain such an economically powerful year-round travel and tourism sector?

It is not because of our beautiful mountains or fall colors. Every county in WNC has those.

In the fall, we have our apple growers and the Apple Festival to thank. These seasonal tourists benefit our tax base greatly, but they also do not account for our year-round strength.

We all know what the “pillars” of Henderson County tourism are. You will find them (often only them) listed in any guidebook about visiting WNC. The Carl Sandburg Home, the Playhouse and, more recently, DuPont State Forest are the year-round legs of the stool that build our industry, with the Apple Festival and apple orchards rounding out a fourth strong seasonal leg.

They are what make conditions ripe for tourists to explore and support our Main Street, museums, stores, farmers markets and restaurants. We must remember that all of these attractions and businesses were invested in to capitalize on the tourists coming for the “main events” — not the other way around.

Without Sandburg, the Playhouse and DuPont, Hendersonville would be just one more small town on the interstate, except for a brief fall spurt.

As a lifelong Republican activist, I fully understand the pragmatic questions that many others are asking. In each case, I find answers that make sense and should assure our conservative voters that investing in the Playhouse is the smart thing to do.

Some ask, “Why can’t they stand on their own two feet?” The Playhouse is a nonprofit with an educational mission that was never designed to stand alone. There is not one professional nonprofit theater in the nation that does not operate with a mix of public, private, corporate and foundation sources.

The Playhouse’s YouTheatre program accepts every kid regardless of family income. It provides free and low-cost access to more than 10,000 county students per year to theater and arts education of a higher caliber than anything within a three-hour radius. It provides classes to Boys & Girls Club kids at no charge. It has trained hundreds of kids who have then gone on to careers around the country in theater (a resource no other small county in North Carolina has).

Its ticket prices ($40 or $20 for rush tickets) are far below the actual cost of production, which is why comparable professional for-profit theater tickets in major cities cost $100 and up.

“Didn’t the Playhouse make some bad financial decisions?” Yes. Even though theaters nationwide have suffered in the recession, the Playhouse’s current situation was made worse by some capital expansions with too much borrowing. However, the financial team in place now has a strong, conservative plan.

“Has there been too much rough language in some shows the past few years?” Yes. There was a handful of shows, such as “Art,” “A Few Good Men” and “Red” (the ones most mentioned to me), that pushed the language/thematic edge past what some of its most loyal patrons wanted. The current leadership team has received that message clearly, and I can tell you that the 2013 season doesn’t contain a single show I wouldn’t watch with my own mother.

This community is doing some heavy lifting right now to put the Playhouse back on its feet for our entire county’s economic benefit. This 60-year old partnership has pumped vastly more into our economy than it has ever taken out, and with the prudent, conservative decisions being made now, it will continue to do so.

I am buying season tickets for 2013, which includes shows such as “The Odd Couple” (with Scott Treadway), “Hank Williams: Lost Highway,” “Evita,” “O Holy Night” (based on the gospels of Luke and Matthew), “Les Miserables” and “Cats.” My wife won’t know what happened to her husband!

<p>I don't like most musicals. In fact, I rarely get all that excited about live drama, comedy, ballet — you name it. Unless my wife “suggests” that she'd like to go to a play, I will choose watching “The Godfather” or “Braveheart” for the 100th time on cable any day of the week.</p><p>Why then am I one of so many who are passionate about seeing the Flat Rock Playhouse not only survive but thrive?</p><p>Why are top notch businessmen such as Dave Adams, Jeff Miller and John Sheiry working so hard with private donors, board members, corporate sponsors, the Tourism Development Authority and our elected officials toward that goal?</p><p>The answer is simple: economics.</p><p>The Playhouse is one of the pillars of our travel and tourism industry, which is a benefit to every taxpayer in Henderson County. If the Playhouse goes down (taking 60,000 out-of-county visitors a year with it), it will mean the loss of more than $10 million a year that is pumped into our economy by the Playhouse, its customers and its vendors.</p><p>Every tourism dollar lost has a direct negative effect on the amount of sales tax coming into our coffers. And the huge pump of tourism-driven sales tax dollars is one of the primary reasons we are able to maintain a property tax rate lower than almost every county in the state of similar size.</p><p>My job for the past 21 years has been working in the summer camp business where you become very familiar with tourism-related economic impact studies and work with area hotels, restaurants and attractions to best serve your camp families. So how has Henderson County been able to build and sustain such an economically powerful year-round travel and tourism sector?</p><p>It is not because of our beautiful mountains or fall colors. Every county in WNC has those.</p><p>In the fall, we have our apple growers and the Apple Festival to thank. These seasonal tourists benefit our tax base greatly, but they also do not account for our year-round strength.</p><p>We all know what the “pillars” of Henderson County tourism are. You will find them (often only them) listed in any guidebook about visiting WNC. The Carl Sandburg Home, the Playhouse and, more recently, DuPont State Forest are the year-round legs of the stool that build our industry, with the Apple Festival and apple orchards rounding out a fourth strong seasonal leg.</p><p>They are what make conditions ripe for tourists to explore and support our Main Street, museums, stores, farmers markets and restaurants. We must remember that all of these attractions and businesses were invested in to capitalize on the tourists coming for the “main events” — not the other way around.</p><p>Without Sandburg, the Playhouse and DuPont, Hendersonville would be just one more small town on the interstate, except for a brief fall spurt.</p><p>As a lifelong Republican activist, I fully understand the pragmatic questions that many others are asking. In each case, I find answers that make sense and should assure our conservative voters that investing in the Playhouse is the smart thing to do.</p><p>Some ask, “Why can't they stand on their own two feet?” The Playhouse is a nonprofit with an educational mission that was never designed to stand alone. There is not one professional nonprofit theater in the nation that does not operate with a mix of public, private, corporate and foundation sources.</p><p>The Playhouse's YouTheatre program accepts every kid regardless of family income. It provides free and low-cost access to more than 10,000 county students per year to theater and arts education of a higher caliber than anything within a three-hour radius. It provides classes to Boys & Girls Club kids at no charge. It has trained hundreds of kids who have then gone on to careers around the country in theater (a resource no other small county in North Carolina has).</p><p>Its ticket prices ($40 or $20 for rush tickets) are far below the actual cost of production, which is why comparable professional for-profit theater tickets in major cities cost $100 and up.</p><p>“Didn't the Playhouse make some bad financial decisions?” Yes. Even though theaters nationwide have suffered in the recession, the Playhouse's current situation was made worse by some capital expansions with too much borrowing. However, the financial team in place now has a strong, conservative plan.</p><p>“Has there been too much rough language in some shows the past few years?” Yes. There was a handful of shows, such as “Art,” “A Few Good Men” and “Red” (the ones most mentioned to me), that pushed the language/thematic edge past what some of its most loyal patrons wanted. The current leadership team has received that message clearly, and I can tell you that the 2013 season doesn't contain a single show I wouldn't watch with my own mother.</p><p>This community is doing some heavy lifting right now to put the Playhouse back on its feet for our entire county's economic benefit. This 60-year old partnership has pumped vastly more into our economy than it has ever taken out, and with the prudent, conservative decisions being made now, it will continue to do so.</p><p>I am buying season tickets for 2013, which includes shows such as “The Odd Couple” (with Scott Treadway), “Hank Williams: Lost Highway,” “Evita,” “O Holy Night” (based on the gospels of Luke and Matthew), “Les Miserables” and “Cats.” My wife won't know what happened to her husband!</p>